The Millennial Whoop: A glorious obsession with the melodic alternation between the fifth and the third

By Patrick Metzger

Published Aug 20, 2016
(Updated Jan 3, 2025)

This week, The Lonely Island released a music video for a song that was cut from their new movie, Popstar. The deleted scene for the song, “Fuck Off,” shows Conner4Real (Andy Samberg’s Bieber-esque teen idol character) joyfully belting out the most over-the-top expression of teenage angst possible.

The song is an incredible parody, not least because Samberg and company have caught onto a melodic phenomenon that has plagued the airwaves for the past several years, which they use to great effect at the song’s 40-second mark.

I like to call this melodic snippet the “Millennial Whoop.” It’s a sequence of notes that alternates between the fifth and third notes of a major scale, typically starting on the fifth. The rhythm is usually straight 8th-notes, but it may start on the downbeat or on the upbeat in different songs. A singer usually belts these notes with an “Oh” phoneme, often in a “Wa-oh-wa-oh” pattern. And it is in so many pop songs it’s criminal.

The musical figure is probably best exemplified by Katy Perry’s 2010 song “California Gurls” (featuring Snoop Dogg):

This song comes right at the beginning of “Peak Millennial Whoop,” when suddenly every artist (consciously or subconsciously) jumped on board to replicate this earworm. In “California Gurls,” we first hear it at 0:51 as a kind of foreshadowing to its more memorable usage within the chorus at 1:05 (and multiple times in every chorus thereafter).

The beauty of such a short melodic sequence (simply the repetition of two notes over and over) is that no one can own it. Last year, after Robin Thicke was taken to court by Marvin Gaye’s family for violating the copyright of “Got To Give It Up” with his song “Blurred Lines,” Reggie Ugwu at Buzzfeed wrote a great summary of how the legal system determines whether something really is “a ripoff.” While it would be easy to claim “substantial similarity” between songs that use the Millennial Whoop, in order to convince a jury that someone was ripped off, an artist would have to prove that this “Wa-oh-wa-oh” motif was their original idea. That would put them on thin ice indeed due to the scènes à faire defense, which basically says certain musical elements are just too common to be owned by any one entity.

Ally Burnett found herself in this very situation when she sued Carly Rae Jepsen and Adam Young (a.k.a Owl City), saying their 2012 song “Good Time” had infringed on the copyright of her 2010 song “Ah, It’s a Love Song” (which starts with a Millennial Whoop). Burnett got an out-of-court settlement from Jepsen, but Young fought the case and was awarded royalties after “Good Time” was deemed an original work.

For comparison, here’s “Good Time” (Millennial Whoop at 0:04):

If it wasn’t written by Ally Burnett or Carly Rae Jepson or anyone else, where does the Millennial Whoop come from? I would argue it has antecedents in teasing songs like “Nanny nanny boo boo” and “I know something you don’t know” that, as Leonard Bernstein pointed out in his lecture series The Unanswered Question, seem to transcend cultures across the globe. It’s the kind of musical phrase that we seem to know instinctively and that has a relationship to the overtone series embedded in every single note we hear.

Also, although the melodic intervals are different, the “Wa-oh-wa-oh” syllables surely have more recent roots in the Buggles song “Video Killed the Radio Star”:

It is, perhaps, no wonder that in the same year that “California Gurls” came out, Nicki Minaj was sampling “Video Killed the Radio Star” in her song “Check It Out”:

Humans crave patterns. The reason pop music is successful to begin with is because almost every song is immediately familiar before you get more than 10 seconds into a first listen. Between the formula of European classical scales and chord progressions that have gelled over hundreds of years and the driving heartbeat rhythms that stimulate our internal organs at the right decibels, listeners are immediately hooked in by familiar structure and themes that have likely been ringing in their ears since they were in the womb. And with the pervasive nature of pop music, where everything is a remix, a feedback loop has been created in which songs are successful because they are familiar, so in order to be successful, songs are created that play on our sense of familiarity.

So it is that the Millennial Whoop evokes a kind of primordial sense that everything will be alright. You know these notes. You’ve heard this before. There’s nothing out of the ordinary or scary here. You don’t need to learn the words or know a particular language or think deeply about meaning. You’re safe. In the age of climate change and economic injustice and racial violence, you can take a few moments to forget everything and shout with exuberance at the top of your lungs. Just dance and feel how awesome it is to be alive right now. Wa-oh-wa-oh.

Let me know in the comments if you find other examples of the Millennial Whoop!

—

[UPDATE: One reader pointed out that infant-directed speech (i.e. “Baby Talk”) often uses this same interval. And a band member from Cymbals Eat Guitars (one of their songs is listed below) noted on Twitter that Jesse Lacey from Brand New calls this the “mom calling you inside from the porch interval”.]

[UPDATE: The following songs have also been identified since I published this post as containing the Millennial Whoop.]

Kygo feat. John Legend – “Happy Birthday” (2023, Millennial Whoop at 1:02)

The Avener – “Beautiful” (2019, Millennial Whoop at 0:13)

WILLOW – “Wait a Minute” (2018, Millennial Whoop at 0:27)

Sarah Jaffe – “It’s Fucking On” (2018, Millennial Whoop at 0:52)

MØ, Diplo – “Sun in Our Eyes” (2018, Millennial Whoop at 1:33)

Rising Appallachia – “Resilient” (2018, Millennial Whoop at 1:43)

Vicetone feat. Meron Ryan – “Walk Thru Fire” (2018, Millennial Whoop at 0:27)

The Chainsmokers – “Honest” (2017, Millennial Whoop at 0:17)

Kesha – “Learn to Let Go” (2017, Millennial Whoop at 1:14)

The Greatest Showman Cast – “This is Me” (2017, Millennial Whoop at 1:25)

Tungevaag & Raaban – “In Cold Blood” (2017, Millennial Whoop at 1:03)

MishCatt – “Another Dimension” (2016 — Nov 28, Millennial Whoop at 0:51)

Pavo Pavo – “Ran Ran Run” (2016 — Sep 14, Millennial Whoop at 0:51)

Uber’s Announcement of Self-Driving Cars in Pittsburgh (2016 — Sep 13, Millennial Whoop at 0:32)

Skechers – “Twinkle Toes” (2016 — Aug 29, Millennial Whoop at 0:00)

—-————————————————————–
(Songs above this line were released after this article was published)

Frank Ocean – “Ivy” (2016, Millennial Whoop at 2:53)

Dagny – “Backbeat” (2016, Millennial Whoop at 0:00 as part of longer melodic phrase)

AURORA – “Running With the Wolves” (2016, Millennial Whoop at 1:11)

AURORA – “Conqueror” (2016, Millennial Whoop at 0:23)

Berlin After Midnight – “All Night Long” (2016, Millennial Whoop at 0:52)

Shake Shake Go – “All In Time” (2016, Millennial Whoop at 0:27)

Bandits on the Run – “Funky Ghost” (2016, Millennial Whoop at 0:59)

Oh Wonder – “Without You” (2015, Millennial Whoop at 0:31)

Jason Derulo – “Want To Want Me” (2015, Millennial Whoop at 0:33, louder at 1:32)

twenty one pilots – Ride (2015, Millennial Whoop at 0:48)

Dance Gavin Dance – “Stroke God, Millionaire” (2015, Millennial Whoop at 2:32)

Echosmith – “March Into the Sun” (2015, Millennial Whoop at 0:53)

Kathryn Ostenberg – “Waves” (2015, Millennial Whoop at 0:12)

Tove Lo – “Habits (Stay High)” (2014, Millennial Whoop at 0:48)

Sabrina Carpenter – “Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying” (2014, Millennial Whoop at 0:41)

Agnes Obel – “Brother Sparrow” (2014, Millennial Whoop at 2:29)

Of Monsters and Men – “Mountain Sound” (2014, Millennial Whoop at 2:15)

Andy Grammer – “Forever” (2014, Millennial Whoop at 3:15 at the beginning of a longer melodic phrase)

Fifth Harmony – “Anything Is Possible” (2014, Millennial Whoop at 0:20)

Demi Lovato – “I Really Don’t Care” (2013, Millennial Whoop at 1:00)

CHVRCHES – “The Mother We Share” (2013, fragmented Millennial Whoop at 0:00, standard Millennial Whoop at 0:33)

American Authors – “Best Day of My Life” (2013, Millennial Whoop at 0:33)

Stonefox – “All I Want” (2013, Millennial Whoop at 2:02)

Filter – “Burn It” (2013, Millennial Whoop at 1:10)

Imagine Dragons – “Monster” (2013, Millennial Whoop at 0:57)

One Direction – “Heart Attack” (2012, Millennial Whoop at 0:37)

One Direction – “Live While We’re Young” (2012, Millennial Whoop at 0:53)

The Lumineers – “Ho Hey” (2012, Millennial Whoop on the word “heart” at 0:58)

Milo Greene – “1957” (2012, Millennial Whoop at, 0:09)

Conner Youngblood – “A Summer Song” (2012, Millennial Whoop at 1:13)

Rebecca Black – “Sing It” (2012, Millennial Whoop at 0:03)

Chris Brown – “Turn Up the Music” (2012, Millennial Whoop at 1:30)

Big Tree – “Storm King” (2011, Millennial Whoop at 2:24)

St. Vincent – “Cruel” (2011, Millennial Whoop at 0:26)

The Rasmus – “In the Shadows” (2011, Millennial Whoop at 0:15)

The Paper Kites – “Featherstone” (2011, Millennial Whoop at 1:24)

Outasight – “Tonight Is the Night” (2011, Millennial Whoop at 0:52)

The Head and the Heart – “Down in the Valley” (2011, Millennial Whoop at 1:48)

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – “And We Danced” (2011, Millennial Whoop at 2:01)

BOY – “Little Numbers” (2011, Millennial Whoop at 1:04)

Justin Bieber – “Baby (featuring Ludacris)” (2010, Millennial Whoop at 0:46)

Michou – “Growing Younger” (2010, Millennial Whoop at 0:37)

Alejandro Sanz – “Looking for Paradise (featuring Alicia Keys)” (2010, Millennial Whoop at 0:14)

Kerli – “Tea Party” (2010, Millennial Whoop at 0:28)

Pierce the Veil – “Caraphernalia” (2010, Millennial Whoop at 3:07)

Christina Aguilera – “Can’t Hold Us Down” (2009, Millennial Whoop at 3:54)

Kings of Leon – “Use Somebody” (2009, Millennial Whoop faintly at 0:02, louder 1:28)

Kelly Clarkson – “I Do Not Hook Up” (2009, Millennial Whoop at 0:54)

Cymbals Eat Guitars – “And The Hazy Sea” (2009, elongated Millennial Whoop at 0:00)

Little Boots – “Remedy” (2009, Millennial Whoop at 0:51)

Fall Out Boy – “She’s My Winona” (2008, modified Millennial Whoop at 0:14)

The Shins – “Australia” (2007, Millennial Whoop at 1:15)

Mates of State – “Goods” (2007, Millennial Whoop at 0:20)

Green Day – “Are We the Waiting” (2004, Millennial Whoop at 0:34)

Death Cab for Cutie – “Lightness” (2003, Millennial Whoop at 0:32)

The Rasmus – “In the Shadows” (2003, Millennial Whoop at 0:12)

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – “Maps” (2003, Millennial Whoop at 1:24 on the word “maps”)

Smurfehits – “Tenker på deg” (1996, Millennial Whoop at 2:17)

The KLF – “Last Train to Trancentral” (1991, Millennial Whoop at 1:00)

Don Henley – “New York Minute” (1989, Millennial Whoop at 1:54)

Mark Mueller – “DuckTales Theme Song” (1987, Millennial Whoop at 0:20)

Baltimora – “Tarzan Boy” (1985, Millennial Whoop at 1:11)

Madness – “Wings of a Dove” (1984, Millennial Whoop at 0:43)

Morris Day and the Time – “Jungle Love” (1984, Millennial Whoop at 0:38)

245 thoughts on “The Millennial Whoop: A glorious obsession with the melodic alternation between the fifth and the third”

  3. Pingback: Millennial Whoop with Derp Learning | High Noon GMT

  5. I’m surprised no one has said this already, but it’s a doorbell! I’m not sure why we settled on a minor third for that, but most doorbells are those two notes. Perhaps it’s related to the feeling of familiarity; the feeling of “being home”?

    Reply
  8. Pingback: Il Millennial Whoop – hookii
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  10. Naturally there are antecedents. If you go back 50+ years and listen to the R&B and Motown of the late 1950s and pre-Beatle 60s, you’ll hear the parents and grandparents of the “whoop”. “Uh-oh, uh-oh “, “Whoa-whoa” , etc. You can hear Mary Wells on the first and the Beatles open with the second on “When I Get Home”. Tons more to mine as well. Karen Carpenter did an homage to the sound about ten years later with “Yesterday Once More”. The incomparable Aimee Mann recently did a fine cover of it for the TV show “Vinyl”. Nothing all that new under the sun.

    Reply
  11. Pingback: Descobriram um som que se repete em várias músicas pop – é o ‘millennial whoop’ - Blue Bus

  12. How about Johnny Weissmuller doing his Tarzan yell? I would have to go listen to double check, but my memory says 3rds. (Could be a 4th also, not sure)

    Reply

  14. Here in France this pattern is used by police and fire brigades sirens ! We call it the ‘pin-pon” sound. We’re still very attached to it apparently as we haven’t turned to the sinusoidal whhhhhhhhhooooooooooooooooooeeyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyhhhhh yet.

    Reply

  15. A very minor point of fact – “Good Time” doesn’t appear in Wreck-It Ralph. That’s “When Can I See You Again?”, which happens to sound very similar.

    Reply
  16. Pingback: The “Millennial Whoop” and the Formula for Comfort Formulae – Snip, Burn, Solder Blog

  17. I wouldn’t count “Jungle Love” as an example; it came out over 20 years before the phenom, and it uses a minor-third rather than a major-third.

    Reply

  19. Safetysuit – “Apology” 2008… begins with several whoops… too many to count throughout.

    Reply
  20. Pingback: The ‘Millennial Whoop’, A Musical Phrase That Has Worked Its Way Into Many Modern Pop Songs - BuzzFeed
  21. Pingback: Woop – ponderings

  23. Panic is perfect’s “Go go go” has the phrase just after the intro, then Panic! at the Disco’s “This is gospel” and “All the boys” are also songs with the phrase (the first one at 0:16 and forward while the other song has both in 0:33 sang by the main voice and 1:45 sang by the backup vocals).
    I find really fun to listen to music now and point this phrase.

    Reply

  24. This article is incredible. Thanks for the break down.

    Kesha Tik Tok! A very relevant rich contribution to the cannon…

    Reply
  26. Pingback: Millennial Whoop with Derp Learning, a Reel | High Noon GMT
  29. Pingback: Great Job, Internet!: Read This: Pop music’s obsession with the millennial whoop - The Daily Jobard

  32. This is FANTASTIC. There’s a similar bit going through pop country right now — the Bro Country Whoop? Not necessarily the same notes, but just this refrain whoop that would be the only thing you remember about the song if you actually remember any of the ‘lyrics.’ Such a weird little flourish — denoting some emotion without needing to actually write affecting lyrics…?

    I seriously found all of these in the last 10 minutes, and ALL were released in 2016….

    David Nail – Night’s on Fire
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf4tqI1BUSM&index=30&list=PLlYKDqBVDxX0Qzmoi2-vvHJjOAy3tRPQ_

    Grainger Smith – Backroad Song
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgPRvCA5-PM&list=PLlYKDqBVDxX0Qzmoi2-vvHJjOAy3tRPQ_&index=88

    Jake Owen – Barefoot Bluejean Night
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRh-vBOS-dU

    Randy Hower – Runnin’ Outta Moonlight

    Reply
  33. Pingback: What's The Millennial Whoop & Why Is It In Virtually Each Music? | GetUsaNews

  35. As an older pop musician (born in 1958) I observe that certain sets of repeated chord changes are in heavy use right now, the most common being variations of I – V – VI – IV – the same as in Pachelbel’s famous Canon in D. “Blue” variants, very common in the 60s and 70s, are now almost completely absent, even from R&B.

    If you have a guitar or piano and don’t know the numbers system, try this: G – D – Em – C. Repeat. You’re a star!

    The I – V – VI – IV pattern is an incredibly easy pattern over which to sing a boatload of major keyed melodies with extremely low tension. It’s the musical equivalent of the easiest recipe your mom can show you how to make in the kitchen. Nothing wrong with that unless it’s all you’ve got.

    Nearly any song from the Lumineers, Taylor Swift, or countless others fit this pattern. Once you hear it, it’s everywhere. My grown kids are always surprised when they show me a song, and I just call out the chord changes correctly on the first pass.

    Reply

    1. Right! This old drummer who can chord the piano tried it. Immediately heard Van Halen’s “Jump!” As I commented earlier with the early uh-ohs and whoa-whoas, especially in the pre-Beatle/Brill building/early Motown era, nothing all that new under the sun. But if it has a good beat and you can dance to it…

      Reply

      1. GREAT reference: “The Hook” video (aces!) along with this article relating the acoustic to the “semiotic”. Thanks!

  37. Pingback: What’s The Millennial Whoop & Why Is It In Almost Every Song? | My Health

  39. Whoever has studied etnomusicology knows that the descending minor third has always been the most common singed interval in folk music. Think about lullabies, they are often based on the ossessive repetition of this same interval. Also most of children mocking songs are based on this – very confortante to be sung – interval. Cheers!

    Reply

    1. I was thinking the same thing. I teach elementary music using the Kodaly method, which starts with so and mi, I.e. the 3rd and 5th scale degrees. So the prevalence of this pattern at least indicates that maybe some of these millenials paid attention in their kindergarten music classes, lol. Seriously, though, it transcends ethnicity, nationality, style, etc. There’s something nearly universal about the pentatonic scale and something a bit more subtle but still pervasive about the so–mi pattern being the first step to building to the pentatonic scale. Good to see people outside music education and musicology recognizing this.

      Reply
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